The Internet is overflowing with information for educators, but sometimes it’s hard to know where to start searching for great ideas. Who has the time to sift through all of the mediocre material in order to find the truly inspirational lesson ideas? Good news: We’ve done the sifting for you – including general sites and those specific to a particular subject like language arts and mathematics. We think you will find this list of great websites very useful, because they cover the education spectrum.

Top of the Heap

Top 16 Websites for Teachers.  Find valuable resources on a wide ranges of sites with the list on educatorstechnology.com. Included are major sites such as PBS, Smithsonian, and Discovery, as well as many less well-known sites filled with lessons, printables, and inspiration. Educationtechnology.com also offers helpful information about education technology and mobile learning.

TEACH100. Teach100 ranks and scores well more than 100 education blogs – it actually lists 1,056 of them! Check out the top 100 and beyond to stay up-to-date on what people are talking about in the education space.

The Learning Network. The New York Times produces this blog, which offers lesson plans tied to stories in the news. Categories include the core subjects, along with topics such as economics, health, and journalism. Check for age-appropriateness, because the blog offers content for students from third grade through high school. And, yes, there are crossword puzzles!

Language Arts
ReadWriteThink. Use this site when you have a very specific amount of time to fill. You’ll find ideas that range in length from five-minute writing prompts that can kick off an assignment, to multi-week units. The calendar activities section is packed with ways to tie your reading and writing lessons to seasons, notable people, and multicultural holidays.

Scholastic. Here you can browse through thousands of lesson plans by grade level and subject. Many of the reading and language arts lessons tie into other subject areas, as well.

School Library Journal. This is a good resource when you have readers who are difficult to reach. Find lists of kid-friendly comics and books that address diversity, or find an interview with a student’s favorite author. The site also provides news about education research, policy, and more.

Mathematics
Illuminations. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics produces this site, which provides lesson plans, online games, and brainteasers. The lesson plans include Common Core Standards, assessments, and links to related lessons. Fair warning: If you start reading the brainteasers, you might find it hard to stop!

Inside Mathematics. Check out the Problems of the Month section for questions meant to get students thinking deeply about math. There are also assessments for second through fifth grades, all tied to Common Core Standards. The site offers teaching support, with example videos of successful classroom lessons.

K-5 Math Teaching Resources. You will find a gazillion math games and activities here that are ready to be printed for your students. This site shines in explaining the many ways you can integrate math in your classroom, with sections on math journals, math centers, and mental math.

Science
Understanding Science. UC Berkeley's Understanding Science website is a "must use" for all science teachers. It is a great resource for learning more about the process of science. The resource goes much deeper than the standard "PHEOC" model of the scientific method, by emphasizing peer review, the testing of ideas, a science flowchart, and a "what is science?" checklist. Understanding Science also provides a variety of teaching resources, including case studies of scientific discoveries and lesson plans for every grade level.

Earth Exploration Toolbook. This site provides a series of activities, tools, and case studies for using data sets with your students.

Edheads. Be sure to check out this site, which provides engaging Web simulations and activities for kids. Current activities focus on simulated surgical procedures, cell phone design (with market research), simple and compound machines, and weather prediction.

Social Studies
WE are TEACHERS. We could have compiled a great list…but this site already has one! Take a look at their comprehensive list for the 21 Top Websites for Social Studies Teachers.


Arts Education
National Art Education Association. For all things related to arts education, check out this site. Founded in 1947, the NAEA is the leading professional membership organization for visual arts educators. Members include elementary, middle, and high school visual arts educators; college and university professors; university students preparing to be art educators; researchers and scholars; teaching artists; administrators and supervisors; and art museum educators – as well as more than 47,000 students who are members of the National Art Honor Society.

Get Started!
Use these great sites to get rolling, and then share your lessons on mimioconnect.com, our online educator community. Need more inspiration? Check out what other teachers have posted there, covering a wide range of subjects and grades, and tagged for Common Core State Standards alignment. Get inspired! >>